Epidemiology and Prevention of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA) Transmission in the Community

The overall goals of this project are to: 1. to investigate the determinants of and evaluate potential interventions to reduce the spread of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections in community settings in order to reduce the burden of this illness in the State of Pennsylvania. This objective has the following specific aims: * to identify host, microbiological and environmental risk factors for prolonged MRSA colonization, MRSA transmission and clinical MRSA infection among patients with MRSA skin and soft tissue infections (SSTIs) and their household contacts and to use stochastic agent-based modeling methods to quantify secondary spread of CO-MRSA in households. * to evaluate the impact of a decolonization intervention on MRSA infections in the household. * to identify immunological mechanisms underlying the ability of Streptococcus pneumoniae colonization to inhibit MRSA colonization, transmission and infection in order to identify potential future immunological targets for interventions. 2. to foster multi-disciplinary and cross-institutional collaborations and develop the infrastructure for a Center of Excellence focused on antimicrobial drug resistance research, with the capacity for activities linking basic science, epidemiological and clinical intervention studies 3. to enhance opportunities for basic and clinical research training for undergraduate and graduate students, particularly from underrepresented minorities, in order to increase the pipeline of future biomedical scientists and clinical investigators